From "Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads" by Ciril Hitz
page 140. These take 3 days to make.
Two days before baking:
30 minutes + 2 hours + 10 minutes
1.25 cups whole milk
2 eggs
5.5 cups bread flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1.5 teaspn salt
2 teaspn yeast
2 tablespn unsalted butter
parchment paper
Bring eggs and milk to 60-65F (15 second bursts of microwave, stir and repeat as necessary).
Put eggs and milk in 5 quart bread mixing bowl. Add flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter. Mix at low speed until the dough comes together. In a mixing machine this will take 3 to 4 minutes.
Increase mixer speed to medium, continue to mix for 1 minute.
Remove dough from mixer and place in a proofing container spayed with oil. Ideal temperature is 75F to 78F. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let ferment for 2 hours.
After 2 hours of fermentation, shape the dough into a rectangle. Place it on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic and refridgerate overnight.
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prepare butter block:
1.5 cups unsalted butter
parchment paper
Cut parchment paper 13x18 inches. Place butter on parchment paper. Soften by pounding into flat rectangle 3/8 inch thick using a rolling pin. Result should be 5x7 inch rectangle.
Fold the paper into an envelope. Use rolling pin to spread butter into corners evenly. Final block should be 6x8 inches. Refridgerate overnight.
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One day before baking:
30 minutes + 20 minutes + 1 hour
Place dough in freezer for 30 minutes.
Remove butter from fridge for 15 minutes at room temperature (until pliable).
Roll dough out to 16x8 inch rectangle. Place butter block in center of dough and fold dough to center, pressing edges together.
Three trifolds (roll out after each) to get 27 layers.
Cover with plastic; place in freezer for 1 hour. Place in refridgerator overnight.
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Baking day:
30 minutes + 20 minutes + 3 hours + 20 minutes
Egg wash = 1 egg scrambled
Remove dough from fridge; place in freezer for 30 minutes.
Remove from freezer, roll out to 1/4 inch thick. May need to rest the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes in the process of rolling out.
Using a ruler, mark 3 inch intervals along one of the long edges. Along the opposite long edge, offset by 1.5 inches and mark again at 3 inch intervals.
Using a pizza cutting wheel, cut from one mark to the opposite end by dragging toward yourself. Repeat creating long triangles.
Cut a split on the small side of the triangle 1" deep. Use two palms to roll towards yourself.
Place crossaints on parchment paper in sheet pan. Cover with plastic, let rise for 3 hours at 65F. If butter is running out of the crossaints while proofing, the temperature is too high.
Preheat convection oven to 360F. Just before baking, brush with egg wash.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Done when golden-brown crust is visible.
Remove crossaints from pan, cool on rack. Enjoy fresh or at room temperature. These do not store well; consume within a day of baking.
Yield 15 large crossaints